The present invention relates to the use of aqueous, carbon disulfide precursor-containing solutions in the production of oil from subterranean formations.
Crude oil production can experience plugging in tubing, wellbores, and flowlines, as well as baggy interfaces in separators and stock tanks. Serious plugging can cause loss of production and equipment failures. These plugs are formed as the gross production leaves the formation, since temperatures and pressures are reduced. The plugging agents can be paraffins, asphaltenes, maltenes, resins, and elemental sulfur.
Additionally, the production of heavy crudes and tar sands is often hampered by the high viscosities encountered. The recovery of residual oil from aged reservoirs is made difficult because the oil-coated rock is usually surrounded by large quantities of brine.
Aqueous, carbon disulfide-containing solutions have been used as dewaxing agents and sulfur deposition inhibitors in the production of oil from subterranean formations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,724,552 and 5,076,358, these documents being incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
There is a need to produce oil more efficiently, e.g., by using a more efficacious dewaxing agent.